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• baron
  baron

  noun

  a member of the lowest grade of nobility.
• Baron
  Baron

  noun

  Michel Michel Boyron, 1653–1729, French actor.

baron

¹ American  

[bar-uhn] / ˈbær ən /

noun

1. a member of the lowest grade of nobility.

2. (in Britain)

   1. a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king.

   2. a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility.

   3. a member of the House of Lords.

3. an important financier or industrialist, especially one with great power in a particular area.

   an oil baron.

4. a cut of mutton or lamb comprising the two loins, or saddle, and the hind legs.

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Baron ² American  

[ba-rawn] / baˈrɔ̃ /

noun

1. Michel Michel Boyron, 1653–1729, French actor.

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baron British  

/ ˈbærən /

noun

1. a member of a specific rank of nobility, esp the lowest rank in the British Isles

2. (in Europe from the Middle Ages) originally any tenant-in-chief of a king or other overlord, who held land from his superior by honourable service; a land-holding nobleman

3. a powerful businessman or financier

   a press baron

4. English law (formerly) the title held by judges of the Court of Exchequer

5. short for baron of beef

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Etymology

Origin of baron

1200–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin barōn- (stemof barō ) man < Germanic; sense “cut of beef ” perhaps by analogy with the fanciful analysis of sirloin as “Sir Loin”

Explanation

A baron is a nobleman — a member of the aristocracy. Barons are also important, powerful businessmen with huge influence over their industries. In Britain, a baron is called “Lord,” but in the States, we call them “rich.” Barons are members of the aristocracy — wealthy people born into power and influence. How high a baron ranks depends on the country, but the title always carries respect. Similarly, a business leader who is rich, powerful, and influential is a baron. The term is used in phrases such as oil baron and baron of industry. You can also call that kind of baron a big businessman, magnate, mogul, top executive, or tycoon.

Example Sentences

His eponymous company, which the Gilded Age lumber baron founded with partners in 1900, pioneered logging techniques to harvest the Pacific Northwest’s verdant slopes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Cruise was at CinemaCon earlier in the week to preview a very different film, Digger, in which he plays a grey-haired oil baron who has to clean up his environmental mess.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Not because Mullin, a wealthy plumbing baron from Oklahoma who’s served in Washington since 2013, has a distinguished legislative record.

From Slate • Mar. 7, 2026

The property baron offloaded one of his Tennessee homes back in 2021, selling the seven-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom abode, which is believed to have served as his primary residence, for $10.2 million in August of that year.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025

There was nothing particularly likable about the baron, but she found him far preferable to his wife.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• aristocrat